Category Archives: Gulf Air

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Gulf Air, the national airline of the Kingdom of Bahrain, have signed a codeshare partnership, for travel commencing with the summer schedule.

Codeshare operations to begin with the summer schedule between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain and onwards from both hubs

Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on 12 Gulf Air routes across the Gulf region, North Africa, Europe and key destinations in Pakistan

Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on 10 Etihad routes including destinations in Africa, Australia, Indonesia and the USA

The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two carriers at the Bahrain International Airshow in November last year and will further strengthen the strong ties between the two countries and carriers.

The agreement will see Etihad place its ‘EY’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to and from Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Casablanca, Dhaka, Faisalabad, Larnaca, Malaga, Multan, Najaf, Peshawar, Sailkot and Tbilisi.

Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to and from Bahrain, Brisbane, Chicago O’Hare, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York JFK, Sydney and Washington.

Guests who are travelling to the USA with Etihad will be able to enjoy the preclearance facility offered at Abu Dhabi International Airport. The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility at Terminal 3 in Abu Dhabi Airport is a purpose-built facility that allows US bound passengers to process all immigration, customs and agriculture inspections in Abu Dhabi before they depart. On arrival in the US, guests arrive as domestic passengers, speeding up the arrival process and making onward connections more seamless.

The announcement was made at a signing ceremony held at Etihad Airways Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, attended by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, and Krešimir Kučko, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air.

In addition to the codeshare signing, both Etihad Guest and Gulf Air Falconflyer loyalty programs are exploring ways to offer earn and burn opportunities.

Gulf Air currently operates four return daily flights between Bahrain and Abu Dhabi while Etihad currently operates three return daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, are set to explore deeper cooperation following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Bahrain International Airshow.

MOU scope includes provision for:

Joint codeshare operations as preferred partners between and beyond hubs

Development of commercial agreements to enhance guest experience

Coordinated Engineering and Cargo services in Abu Dhabi and Manama

Plans to offer reciprocal ‘earn and burn’ on frequent flyer programs

The wide-ranging MOU covers scope to introduce joint codeshare operations between Abu Dhabi and Manama, as well as on the global flight networks beyond the two carriers’ GCC hubs.

The MOU also contains plans for greater commercial cooperation in the fields of cargo, engineering, guest experience and the optimisation of pilot training facilities.

In addition to exploring codeshare operations, the teams at Etihad Guest and Gulf Air Falconflyer loyalty programs will shortly begin discussions which would see members of each programme being offered reciprocal earn and burn opportunities.

The teams in both carriers’ engineering and cargo divisions are also set to begin talks about greater cooperation. These discussions would look at optimising MRO (maintenance repair operations) opportunities, as well as ways to increase volumes of freighter traffic flowing into and out of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Gulf Air currently operates four return daily flights between Bahrain and Abu Dhabi while Etihad currently operates three return daily A320 operations between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

Gulf Air on August 18, 2018, took delivery of its first Airbus A320neo (A9C-TA, msn 8323).

The airline released photos of its new updated cabin for the new engine option.

Gulf Air also issued this statement and photo:

Gulf Air, the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, took delivery of its first A320neo. The aircraft, powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, made its maiden journey from Toulouse to Bahrain, landing at the Bahrain International Airport at 16:00 local time.

The aircraft is the first of the 29 A320neo Family aircraft ordered during the 2016 Bahrain International Airshow. This delivery also makes Gulf Air the first Middle Eastern national carrier to fly the A320neo.

Gulf Air currently operates 28 Airbus aircraft. The new addition complements the airline’s existing fleet and thanks to Airbus’ overall fleet commonality, the airline will benefit from low operating costs, optimum fuel efficiency and seamless, best-in-class passenger comfort of any single aisle aircraft.

Featuring the widest single aisle cabin in the sky, the A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 6,100 orders received from over 100 customers, the A320neo Family has captured nearly 60 percent share of the market.

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Gulf Air’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner passengers will experience many improvements with the 787 family. Onboard, you can enjoy the largest windows of any jet, air that is cleaner, more humid and at a higher pressure for greater comfort, large overhead bins with room for everyone’s bag, soothing LED lighting and technology that senses and counters turbulence for a smoother ride.

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Gulf Air and Boeing today celebrated the delivery of the first 787 Dreamliner for the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The airplane also debuts the carrier’s new livery.

Gulf Air is set to take delivery of four more Dreamliners this year. The airline plans to introduce the 787 on its twice-daily service between Bahrain and London Heathrow before deploying the long-range efficient jet on other routes.

Boeing has delivered more than 670 787s since deliveries began in 2011. The 787 fleet has flown more than 240 million passengers while saving over 23 billion pounds of fuel and enabling airlines to open more than 180 new nonstop routes around the world.

The first Gulf Air 787 – painted in the airline’s new livery – recently flew a special mission to the airline’s home base to perform a fly pass over the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. Formula 1 race fans were treated to a dramatic aerial display prior to the start of the championship race.

The 787 will enter service on the Bahrain – London (Heathrow) route on June 15.

Gulf Air has promised a new livery with the first 787. With the pictured 787 we get a glimpse of the new livery with a re-stylized falcon logo on the tail. The rest of the livery is likely to be unveiled at an official event and will be different from this earlier concept drawing (below).